Two weeks ago, a group of environmental organizations, waterman, nurses, and concerned citizens stood outside of the Public Service Commission in Baltimore to launch our No to Cove Point LNG Exports Campaign. It was a great press conference – lots of media and onlookers. I stood there and watched a host of people speak, everyone from a representative of a national non-profit to a member of a local Cove Point Homeowners Association. I got to meet activists from all over Maryland. I was on day 3 of my new job, and I was impressed.
I’m Jon, the new Southern Maryland organizer for CCAN. That means I’m building the grassroots opposition to stop the Cove Point export facility, focusing mainly on local opposition in Calvert County. After the press conference, I hit the ground running, literally, from door to door, and over the past two weeks, I’ve noticed something really important.
I’m getting petitions signed to Governor O’Malley by canvassing with volunteers and meeting as many Calverton’s as I can, and the biggest thing I’ve noticed is how connected everyone is to water. Water is almost always around you, wherever you are. In Solomons, a peninsula at the southern tip of the county, you can literally throw a rock from one side of the county to the other. Water is a normal part of life for most people, and it drives their economy. Tourism, recreational and commercial fishing, oyster harvesting, marinas, museums, restaurants, and real estate, all rely on a healthy Chesapeake Bay to sustain their lives. With most people I speak to about this campaign, the first concern they usually bring up is the effects of the LNG export facility on the health of the Bay. 
It’s amazing how non-partisan that makes this campaign, especially when you wrap your mind around the completely preventable government shutdown that was caused directly by partisan politics. Yet, in the local community, political parties just don’t really matter when it comes to Cove Point. People from all walks of life agree on this campaign, and in an era of all too familiar partisan bickering, it’s almost refreshing. I’ll meet a retired politico who moved to Cove Point from inside the beltway and, on the same street, in the same neighborhood, I’ll meet someone who grew up in Calvert County with the deepest southern drawl you have ever heard. Maybe they’re on opposite sides of the political spectrum, but as far as I can tell, both care deeply about this campaign and protecting their community.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll include updates from the local side of the campaign. I’ll be highlighting local individuals who are quickly becoming leaders in their community that are taking up the fight against Dominion and the LNG export facility. It’s an exiting time, and things are moving fast. As for now, I’ll keep running, building and building, meeting new and amazing people along the way. If YOU are interested in running with me and canvasing in Calvert County, you can email me at jon@chesapeakeclimate.org and I’d be happy to speak with you.
